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Lancaster ISD proposes 'yonder' pouch program, $30 replacement fee for student devices
Summary
Lancaster ISD presented a districtwide plan to require students to store phones in 'yonder' pouches during the school day and proposed a $30 replacement fee for lost or damaged pouches; the item will be added to the student handbook for board action at the Jan. 20 regular meeting.
Lancaster Independent School District leaders described a new phone-storage program they say will reduce classroom distractions and comply with Texas House Bill 1481. Superintendent Dr. Perera presented the "yonder" pouch system and asked the board to amend the student handbook to allow a $30 replacement fee for lost or damaged pouches.
"We are introducing the yonder pouch in direct response to Texas House Bill 1481," Dr. Perera said, adding that the initiative is funded by a Texas Education Agency grant and is scheduled to begin the week of Jan. 12. She said normal wear-and-tear would be covered by the district but that lost or intentionally damaged pouches would incur a modest replacement fee to avoid placing the district on the hook for large replacement costs.
Board members asked how the system would operate at dismissal and whether wall-mounted unlock stations could create bottlenecks. Dr. Perera said each campus will set its own configuration and that multiple stations can be installed near high-traffic exits to channel students efficiently. She also said students maintain physical control of their pouches and unlock them at dismissal with administrator assistance.
Trustee Cortez raised concerns about families unable to pay the fee; district staff said student services will manage hardship cases and that repeated offenders could be restricted from bringing phones to campus. "If they can't pay it, even at that particular time, they would have to turn in their phones at the beginning of the day and retrieve their phones at the end of day," Doctor Jackson said.
The board is scheduled to consider a handbook amendment that would incorporate the replacement-fee policy at its next regular meeting. The presentation materials and a student-introductory video were offered to the board for review.
Next steps: the board will consider formal handbook language and vote on whether to adopt the fee at its Jan. 20 meeting.
